Nyctophobia (phobia of the Dark): How to Overcome This Fear?

We have all experienced terror in the dark at some point. Nyctophobia is an irrational fear of being in the dark. How can we overcome this fear according to psychology?

The fear of the dark is one of the most common fears in most people. In fact, it is a response learned from our ancestors, who had to protect themselves from predators that hid in the shadows of the night. But when this fear becomes a phobia of the dark, known in psychology as nyctophobia, this can end up being a hindrance to the life of the person who suffers from it. Why is this terror experienced in the dark?

What is nyctophobia or phobia of the dark?

Fear of the dark is one of the most recurrent fears during childhood, and as we have mentioned, it is considered a completely normal reaction during childhood development. In fact, studies have shown that people have this terror in the dark due to lack of visual stimuli. That is, the fear of night or darkness is due to the fact that we cannot see what surrounds us.

Although he fear of the dark It is something relatively normal, when a person begins to experience the symptoms of a phobia of the dark or nyctophobia, this can affect many aspects of the life of the person who suffers from it. In fact, this irrational fear can end up causing the person to modify their routine due to fear of going out at night or being without electricity.

The main difference between the fear and phobia of the dark It is precisely the second that ends up causing the person to change many aspects of their life to avoid the anxiety symptoms related to nyctophobia.

Symptoms of dark phobia

When a person suffers from nyctophobia It usually has the same characteristic symptoms of all other phobias. People who suffer from this irrational fear of dark lights or the blackness of the night often experience a lot of distress when surrounded by darkness. So much so that this nighttime fear ends up interfering with most of your daily activities.

Those who suffer from nyctophobia They usually experience these phobia symptoms when they are in the dark or even when they think about it. Mainly, we can highlight the following signs that indicate a phobia of the dark.

• Getting nervous in any dark environment: the symptoms of a phobia They are usually related to states of nervousness because you begin to experience too much fear.
• Fear of going out at night: When you experience nyctophobia Individuals begin to feel very afraid of going places alone at night or prefer not to go out during nighttime hours.
• Sleep with light: The fear of sleeping alone in adults is usually due to suffering from nyctophobia. In fact, typically, people who experience this night fear They often end up resorting to using lights to appease this terror in the dark.
• Physical symptoms of phobia: Normally when a person with a phobia of darkness When exposed to a space without light, you usually begin to feel an increase in your heart rate, sweat more, and may even feel like you are sick.

In this way, the nyctophobia It can end up being detrimental to a person’s social, personal and professional life. Therefore, if you identify with many of the symptoms of this phobia of night or darkness, it is highly recommended to consult a professional psychologist.

Causes of irrational fear of the dark

Nyctophobia is in many cases a phobia with an evolutionary nature, since as we have mentioned, many predatory animals hunted at night. So, it is possible that this phobia of darkness It may be due to unknown dangers that are often hidden in the night. On the other hand, sometimes this irrational fear of the night or the dark may be due to the feeling of insecurity and lack of confidence that people have in themselves, especially when nyctophobia occurs when the person is alone.

Fear of the dark in children

One of the most common childhood terrors in childhood is fear of the dark which causes problems when going to sleep, sleep problems and anxiety when faced with said stimulus.

Fear is nothing more than our body’s response to any threat, whether real or fictitious. It is our internal alarm signal that has helped us since the beginning of our species to ensure our survival. But do children know how to distinguish between real and fictitious threats? When these dark phobia symptoms occur in children, we can resort to the following advice.

1. Explain the difference between real and fictitious threats: Even if they are small, they have to learn to differentiate that having a lion in front of you and being afraid is not the same as imagining a ghost in front of you and being afraid. The difference is that the lion is a real danger from which we must flee, or as an adaptive response, fight; and the ghost does not exist in reality, only in his imagination. We must explain to them that you cannot be afraid of something that does not exist.
2. They have to face their fears: For their correct emotional development and learning that will help them for the rest of their lives, we must teach them that the only way to overcome fears is to face them, whether it is fear of the dark like any other fear. We can help them through stories (for example: the story of a child who is afraid of the dark and realizes that nothing happens in it and we can better appreciate the light of the stars), games, and above all, supporting them. so that they spend more and more time alone in the darkness, first accompanied by us and more and more time alone until the anxiety due to fear is reduced until it disappears.
3. Use a ‘protector’ object: If they are very small or have a hard time coping, we can give them a stuffed animal or some “protective” object that they can hug when they are afraid. When anxiety due to symptoms of dark phobia disappear with the object, we will gradually remove it, rewarding at the end of the week if it has first achieved two days without the object, the following week three days, etc. until we get him to sleep without it. (Token economy) Prizes should never be material things, but rather choosing what to eat on the weekend, choosing what movie we are going to see, etc.
4. Don’t demand too much: The mistake of many parents is to expect our children to advance too quickly. Overcoming fears is a work of perseverance and long term. We cannot expect that in two weeks they will stop being afraid of the dark or of that they can sleep with the light off Confronting fear should only stop when the child stops having anxiety about it, never before.
5. Give them support: One of the most important parts is to support our children in facing this fear of sleeping with the light off always use positive language or reinforcement and send messages like “I know that you are going to do well”, “I am here to support you”, “I am going to accompany you until the end”, “we love you very much and we know that you will achieve it”“, etc.

Snap phobia of sleeping without light or terror in the dark does not go away despite working on it, it is important that you consult with a mental health professional.

Fear of the dark in adults

It is usually related to fear of the dark to childhood since when we are adults, we all know on a rational level that there is no reason to be scared when the lights are off. Fear of the dark is quite normal: in fact, experts say that having this fear is quite common in adults.

Suffering from this fear is logical, since it affects our vision and this makes us feel more uncomfortable and insecure. In fact, there are a series of coping strategies that can help us face these fears, such as the use of lights. Even so, when it comes to nyctophobia, that is, a irrational fear that ends up harming your sleep routine, it is important to go to a psychologist to analyze what this is due to and act on it.

How to overcome the fear of the dark?

People who suffer from nyctophobia They must go to therapy to be able to learn tools to control the phobia of the dark. Even so, there are some tips that we can take into account for those who suffer from fear of the dark or who want to try to work to end many of the symptoms of nyctophobia. According to experts, we can take the following into account.

1. Use a coping phrase: One of the resources that can help you know how to overcome the phobia of the dark is to try to establish a phrase to reduce the anxiety symptoms related to this. irrational fear
2. Practice deep breathing exercises: By controlling our breathing we can take control of what we feel on a physical and mental level. Through a deep breathing exercise we calm our anxious thoughts and can stop feeling many of the anxious feelings related to anxiety. nyctophobia
3. center a positive image in the dark: Instead of focusing your thoughts on your night fear In the dark, a good strategy is to think of something positive to ‘distract’ your mind.
4. Practice progressive muscle relaxation: This technique can be very effective in facing terror in the dark. To do it we must lie down or sit somewhere and begin to imagine that each part of our body is progressively relaxing.

If you experience nyctophobia or phobia of the dark and this is very persistent, it is important that you go to therapy with a mental health professional. Together with them, you can learn some strategies to face this terror in the dark. Life should also be enjoyed during the night.